TEAR Tear, v. t. [imp. Tore, ((Obs. Tare) (; p. p. Torn; p. pr. & vb. n. Tearing.] Etym: [OE. teren, AS. teran; akin to OS. farterian to destroy, D. teren to consume, G. zerren to pull, to tear, zehren to consume, Icel. tæra, Goth. gataíran to destroy, Lith. dirti to flay, Russ. drate to pull, to tear, Gr. dar to burst. *63. Cf. Darn, Epidermis, Tarre, Tirade.]
1. To separate by violence; to pull apart by force; to rend; to lacerate; as, to tear cloth; to tear a garment; to tear the skin or flesh. Tear him to pieces; he's a conspirator. Shak.
2. Hence, to divide by violent measures; to disrupt; to rend; as, a party or government torn by factions.
3. To rend away; to force away; to remove by force; to sunder; as, a child torn from its home. The hand of fate Hath torn thee from me. Addison.
4. To pull with violence; as, to tear the hair.
5. To move violently; to agitate. "Once I loved torn ocean's roar." Byron. To tear a cat, to rant violently; to rave; — especially applied to theatrical ranting. [Obs.] Shak. — To tear down, to demolish violently; to pull or pluck down. — To tear off, to pull off by violence; to strip. — To tear out, to pull or draw out by violence; as, to tear out the eyes. — To tear up, to rip up; to remove from a fixed state by violence; as, to tear up a floor; to tear up the foundation of government or order.
TEAR
Tear, v. i.
1. To divide or separate on being pulled; to be rent; as, this cloth tears easily.
2. To move and act with turbulent violence; to rush with violence; hence, to rage; to rave.
TEAR
Tear, n.